Misty (song)

"Misty"
Single by Johnny Mathis
from the album Heavenly
B-side	"The Story of Our Love"
Released	September 1959
Format	7"
Recorded	April 21, 1959
Label	Columbia
Songwriter(s)	Johnny Burke, Erroll Garner
Johnny Mathis singles chronology
"Small World" (1959) "Misty" (1959) "The Best of Everything" (1959)
"Small World" (1959) "Misty" (1959) "The Best of Everything" (1959)

"Misty" is a jazz standard written in 1954 by the pianist Erroll Garner. Originally composed as an instrumental following the traditional 32-bar format and first recorded for Garner's 1955 album Contrasts, the tune was later paired with lyrics by Johnny Burke and became the signature song of Johnny Mathis, appearing on his 1959 album Heavenly and reaching number 12 on the U.S. Pop Singles chart later that year. Country and pop singer Ray Stevens had a number 14 hit with his cover version of "Misty" in 1975 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been recorded many times, including versions by such artists as Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan.

Johnny Mathis version

Background and release

Johnny Mathis had heard Erroll Garner play the song, and told him that he'd love to sing it if Garner had lyrics for it. Garner was in attendance when Mathis later recorded the song.^[1] The Mathis recording of "Misty" sold well over two million copies in the US alone.

The song is most associated with Mathis despite various recordings over the years by other artists. The Johnny Mathis version of the song (recorded in April 1959) was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002. His version of the song plays prominently in a ballroom dancing scene in the 2012 film Silver Linings Playbook.

Chart performance

Certifications

Johnny Mathis -USA-GOLD single award 1960. (over 2.5 million USA sales)

Play Misty for Me

Although there were already several released versions,^[1] the Mathis version recorded in April 1959 popularized this virtually unknown Garner song. It inspired Clint Eastwood to use the instrumental in his 1971 film Play Misty for Me, a low-budget film that proved to be a box-office success. Eastwood, a fan of Mathis, ended up paying a nominal fee for the Garner recording in his film.

Ray Stevens version

"Misty"
Single by Ray Stevens
from the album Misty
B-side	"Sunshine"
Released	April 1975
Format	7"
Recorded	c. February 1975
Genre	Country
Label	Barnaby
Songwriter(s)	Erroll Garner
Ray Stevens singles chronology
"Moonlight Special" (1974) "Misty" (1975) "Indian Love Call" (1975)
"Moonlight Special" (1974) "Misty" (1975) "Indian Love Call" (1975)

Background and release

In 1975 Ray Stevens released an up-tempo country rendition of this song. It is the title track of his twelfth studio album of the same name. Stevens recounted that the song was recorded on the second take when experimenting in the studio. His version won a Grammy in the category of Music Arrangement of the Year.^[2]

Chart performance

Other versions

"Misty" has been covered many times, by such artists as:

• Ella Fitzgerald (1959)
• Sarah Vaughan (Vaughan and Violins, 1959)
• Billy Eckstine (1960)
• Andy Williams
• Frank Sinatra
• The Students
• Etta James
• Earl Grant (1961)
• Della Reese (1962)
• Lloyd Price (1963)
• Stan Getz & Bob Brookmeyer (1964)
• Richard "Groove" Holmes (1965)
• Oscar Peterson (1965)
• Dexter Gordon (1965)
• Donny Hathaway (1970) as a gospel song, and Johnny Hartman (1971).
• Lesley Gore included a version of the song on her 1963 debut album I'll Cry If I Want To.^[8]
• Joni James recorded a version of "Misty" accompanied by acoustic guitar on her 1963 album Like 3 O'Clock in the Morning.
• A version was also recorded by Julie London and an instrumental version by The Shadows.
• Stan Kenton recorded a version of the song on the Grammy Award-winning 1962 LP Adventures In Jazz.
• Erroll Garner's version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1991.^[9]
• Episode 309 of The Muppet Show features a short concert by Liberace, who plays the song.
• The song plays a key role in the plot of the movie Play Misty for Me (1971). Clint Eastwood and Universal paid $25,000 to use the song in the film.
• A 1976 episode of Saturday Night Live features a short film by Gary Weis—also entitled Play Misty for Me—which intercuts between different performances of the song by various lounge musicians and singers.
• In a scene from the twentieth episode of the fifth season ^[10] of Magnum, P.I., Tom Selleck, as Magnum, is forced to sing the first few lines of the song (before being mercifully interrupted by gunfire) in a karaoke bar.
• Freddie Hubbard on his album Sweet Return (1983)
• Dorothy Ashby included the song in her 1984 album Django/Misty.
• The 1986 Cheers episode "Cliffie's Big Score" has a scene where Cliff Clavin (John Ratzenberger) sings the song while attempting to seduce Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) in his car.
• Little Willie Littlefield recorded a version for his 1990 album Singalong with Little Willie Littlefield.
• In 1993 guitarist Larry Coryell covered the song for his album Fallen Angel.^[11]
• In 1993 alto saxophonist Dave Koz covered the song for his album Lucky Man.^[12]
• Clay Aiken recorded the song for his 2010 album Tried and True.
• Homer and Jethro recorded a semi-comical bluegrass-style version probably sometime in the 1950s, possibly influencing Ray Stevens' recording.
• Tsuyoshi Kawakami & His Moodmakers did a rocksteady version of the song featuring Yoshie Nakano
• Vov Dylan & Glenn Amer in the album "Timeless"^[13]

Footnotes

External links

• Melody with printed lyrics
• "Misty" at jazzstandards.com
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics